The Subtle Grace of Gravity
by Eurgh
Summary: ... 'Where did you learn to dance' He murmurs. 'It’s all in the leading.' She replies softly as he resumes his humming.... A series of one-shots, detailing the lives of Alice and Jasper from the day they meet.
1. The Subtle Grace of Gravity

**Hello! This is just a little JasperxAlice drabble. Like 500 words. In twenty minutes. Haha. The title is from the song "You Are The Moon" by The Hush Sound, which is an amazing song for my favorite couple. You should probably listen to it at some point. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little drabble!**

**_Disclaimer : I do not own Twilight, or The Hush Sound (or the lyrics I stole as my title)._**

**The Subtle Grace of Gravity**

He pushes open the door the diner. The warm scent of living bodies greets him, a tempting smell. Before he can allow his mind to wander, to think of leading one of these innocent humans out to an alley, to imagine the warm, sticky taste on his lips, he can feel the love between a couple by the window. He flinches from his thoughts, from himself. He wants nothing to do with the monster he once was. Though thirst plagues him, the idea of the guilt he would face makes him shudder.

He glances around the little diner, searching for some sort of distraction. There, on the bar stool, he sees her for the first time.

He stiffens. He would know what she is anywhere; her beautifully, flawless skin is ridiculously pale, and likely cold to the touch. Her eyes are a deep onyx, nearly matching her short, choppy hair. She is inhumanly beautiful, absolutely stunning. Though she has a cup of coffee before her, it is untouched, cold by now.

Oh, he knows very well what she is.

Vampire.

She hops down from the barstool with the grace of a ballerina. She darts over her to him, ignoring his obvious tension and grins at him. He doesn't understand the emotion emulating from her. He is prepared to fight her, even in such a public place. It is all he can guess at her motivations, though he can't imagine what he's done to deserve her scorn so quickly.

"You've kept me waiting a long time." She smiles. He is surprised by the beauty in her soprano voice, the almost child-like innocence she seems to radiate.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He ducks his head. He would be flushing (if, of course, that were still a possibility). A beautiful trill of laughter floats out from her lips, and he glances up. She holds out her hand to him. It is an unspoken invitation, an offer of something he cannot guess at.

It is funny that such an intimate moment should happen in the middle of a diner in Philadelphia. This, he can already tell, will be one of the defining moments of his life. If he doesn't take her hand, he will forever wonder what would have happened if he did.

He wonders for a moment at the wonderful feeling bubbling up in his chest.

Hope?

Hope is a very foreign feeling indeed.

Without a word, without another thought, he takes her hand. Her grin widens, lighting up her lovely little face. She is beautiful, this sprite come to save him. He knows he should be worried about where they will go, what she is like, what this will be. He is not. A strange calm washes over him, a relief. He is grateful to this little pixie, whoever she may be.

"I'm very glad to have finally met you, Jasper." She says as they walk from the diner. She has the most graceful walk he's ever seen, even for one of their kind. Her eyes are so expressive, dancing with the happiness she is making no effort to contain.

"Who are you?" He asks, before realizing it doesn't matter. She has already set something into motion, already created something he doesn't understand.

"Alice." She looks at him, and takes his hand in her own again. She squeezes his fingers gently, and releases the hand. He can feel some emotion from her, something he hasn't felt in such a long time he isn't sure he truly recognizes it.

Then again, that may only be because the same feeling is tugging at his own dead heart.

"Where are we going?" He asks after they have walked some time in a comfortable silence. She glances at him, amusement twinkling in her pretty eyes.

"Oh, I'm not sure yet." She shrugs as if it doesn't matter all that much.

And it doesn't. After all, they have eternity.


	2. Hear The Music Fill The Air

**Hello! I've decided to make this a series of JasperxAlice one-shots, detailing their lives from the day they meet up to the Cullens (and then possibly throughout the series... We'll have to see!). Mostly because I've been inspired. This one-shot's title comes from a darling little song called Lucky by Jason Mraz (featuring Colbie Caillat). If you have any good song suggestions for Alice and Jasper, please let me know!! Otherwise, enjoy the one shot!**

_They don't know how long it takes,  
Waiting for a love like this,  
Every time we say good bye,  
I wish we had one more kiss.  
- Lucky, by Jason Mraz (feat. Colbie Caillat)_

**Hear The Music Fill The Air**

She is singing something in that beautiful soprano voice, just under her breath, as she moves about the little hotel room. He glances up at her and grins.

"Jasper Cullen." She stops singing and looks pointedly at him. "Doesn't that sound lovely?" She cocks her head, a distant look overcoming her face. "Well, sometimes Jasper Hale." She amends. "But, overall, Jasper Cullen. And Alice Cullen."

"How long until you expect us to meet them, exactly?" He teases. "You're awfully excited for something at least a year and a half away."

In answer, she sticks out her tongue at him, and returns to her whirlwind of graceful movements. It's been two months since that day in Philadelphia, when she held out her hand to him and changed his life. Two months, and he's happier than he can ever remember being.

A strange, warm feeling is Alice's constant companion. He cannot place it, but can feel a little smooth pocket of it in his own chest. He doesn't want to ask, doesn't necessarily want to know. He is content as he is.

What else could he possibly want?

"Jazz, we need to hunt tonight." She observes after a moment. It's strange, this diet she has them both on. Only animals. Their blood does not satisfy him, not in the slightest, but he doesn't mind as much as he would have thought. Then again, it could just be his little pixie's enthusiasm that has made him so complacent.

"Whatever you want, Alice." He nods.

He sometimes wonders about her little ability to see into the future. If he hadn't had the ability to manipulate emotions, he wouldn't have believed her. Still, it's hard to believe she constantly knows what's coming. But she knew his name, that day in the diner. Called him by name and said he had kept her waiting such a very long time.

He grins at the memory.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She is suddenly beside him, very still. He can feel her curiosity pushing at him.

"You can't tell?"

"You haven't made any decisions." She replies, curling up in the chair next to his own. They are sitting at a table, some little hotel affair with chipped wood and paint.

"You're very confident that we will meet the Cullens. That everything will turn out alright." He shrugs, unsure of how else to explain it. Her response is a musical laugh.

"I've never been wrong before, Jazz. Why would I be wrong about this?" She stands up, stretching her sinuous limbs.

And there is that overflowing, warm feeling again. She gazes at him with an unreadable expression, and he cannot fathom this amazing emotion sweeping them both away. But he doesn't want it to end and sits very still, as if it will prolong the moment.

"Oh, Jazz." She says softly, and he decides he very much likes the way his name (or variation of) sounds on her lips. He glances at her.

"Yes?"

And she smiles that perfect little smile, the one that makes him feel like he's falling, and shakes her head.

"We should go now." She takes his hand in hers, just like that day. It still looks very small in his own. He studies her skin; it is perfect and smooth. He wonders what her human life was like. He wonders so many things about her, so suddenly. When was she changed? Who was she, before him? Before these two months?

"I don't remember." She says softly, before he can ask. He stares at her, surprised.

"Is mind reading one of your gifts as well?"

"You made the decision to ask me." She laughs sweetly. Then, she looks at him questioningly, as if wondering whether she should go on. He nods. "I don't remember any of my human life. I don't remember being changed. I woke up, alone, in a dark field."

"Alone?" He is momentarily stunned.

"Yes." She smiles, despite the depressing subject. "I stood up. My thoughts were jumbled and confused, as if I were a newborn child thrust into the world. After a few moments, I remembered my name." She laughed. "It's strange, to not know what you are or who you are. To only be aware that you _are_ something, even if you can't identify it. And then I had my first vision."

"What did you see?" He is surprised at how very forthcoming she is with information.

"You, in the diner." She touches his hand. "I saw you walk into the diner."

They are quiet for awhile. It is a comfortable silence, both vampires content with his or her own thoughts. After some time, Alice tugs on his hand.

"Are we leaving now?"

"You're so impatient." Jasper rolls his eyes in mock exasperation. "We have all of eternity."

She pauses, and he feels a sudden spark in that ever present warm feeling.

"I suppose we do." She agrees with a wise nod. "Which is why we should make the most of it. Come on, Jazz!"

She tugs him out of the room. They have very little luggage; she carries a bag with her, and he carries nothing. At the checkout desk, she hardly pays the clerk any attention as she babbles on about the Cullens once more.

"Oh, Jazz, it's going to be wonderful!" She grins and touches his hand intimately. It is strange, that a small action can be so intimate. That anything can be intimate between them when they've only just met.

"I'm sure, Alice." He rolls his eyes as she pays the clerk in the little money she has. He doesn't know why, but she seems to enjoy hotels whenever she lays hands on money. Otherwise, they move nomadically, like the rest of their kind. Excluding the Cullens, according to Alice.

They walk out into the dusk of twilight. Her eyes are wide with awe, as they so often are. Little things- the sunset, the sunrise, a particularly beautiful sky or storm, even little flowers- are the things she admires most. He doesn't quite understand, but he can't help but to indulge her. There's something childlike in her reverence for these very commonplace things, something so very innocent. He hates to admit it, but he would love for her to stay this way.

"What did you do?" He asks softly, suddenly.

"When?" She wrinkles her brow, confused.

"When you woke up and had the vision." He replies. "How did you know what to do? Wasn't your throat burning in thirst?"

"Yes." She nods calmly, but he can feel a bit of sadness at the memory. No doubt she disliked her lack of control back then; Alice seems like a being whom likes very much to control every aspect of life. "I stumbled around the field for some time. I didn't know what to do. An animal passed by- a deer, I think. Without thinking, I attacked it."

"That must have been unpleasant." He wrinkles his nose. He dislikes their diet now (though he can't imagine returning to his old ways, when the agony and fear would wash over him in waves as he fed). How would a newborn react to it?

"Very." A musical laugh escaped her lips. "Some time later, I found a human." He felt guilt roll off of her, just for a moment. "It was the only human I ever killed. After that, I gained some control of myself. I still didn't quite know what I was. I knew I was different from my prey and from the deer. But, beyond that…" She shrugs, as if the past doesn't matter so very much.

"You're very open." Jasper points out.

"You're very easy to talk to." Alice replies, her pretty lips curving up into his favorite smile.

Not that he knew her well enough to have a favorite smile. Still, he can't deny that every time she laughs it sends a shiver of pleasure down his spine. That every time she watches something in that innocent reverence, he wants to do everything he can to keep her that way. That, when she talks, he cannot help but be riveted.

"Jazz?"

That his pet name on her lips is still the most beautiful sound in the world shouldn't surprise him, but it does.

"Yes, Alice?"

"You are very quiet." She sighs, as if frustrated. He feels for that frustration, but only feels a small pocket of longing.

"Does that bother you?"

She chooses not to answer, skipping ahead of him on the sidewalk. He takes several long strides to catch up, and that Southern accent he's done such a good job of hiding breaks out for just a moment.

"I didn't upset you, did I, ma'am?" He touches her arm gently, surprised by the electricity between them. She seems to notice it burning up their ice cold skin and smiles that smile.

"No, Jazz, you didn't." She takes his hand and pulls him along with her.

She seems enthralled by the pretty street at night. There is a carnival down the road, and the sounds of delighted shrieks, laughter, and shouting easily reaches their ears. Jasper can smell grease, sugar, and warm bodies. His throat tightens, just for a moment. He can imagine how easy it would be for a human to get lost in the little carnival, in the hustle of bodies moving in every direction-

No, he mustn't think like that now.

Alice beams at him.

"You changed your mind."

"Yes, I did." He nods absentmindedly.

She scrutinizes the expression on his face, and he can feel the confusion coming off her in waves. He smiles down at her.

"Confused, little Alice?" She nods, by now used to his gift.

"What's wrong?" She asks. "You changed your mind. You have no reason to be upset."

He realizes he is afraid he has disappointed her. Abruptly, he stares ahead and begins to walk.

"Jazz!" She catches up with him easily. "What? Do you… Well, I mean, is this what you want?"

"What?" He is confused by her question.

"If you don't want this, this life with the Cullens, we don't have to." She babbles hurriedly. Her eyes have a distant look, as if she is checking their future without the Cullens, without the decision to abstain from human life.

"You thought I was disappointed?" He is flabbergasted, even more so by her offer. _We_ don't have to, he thinks. She would stay with him, even if he chose to be a monster? His heart swells with that strange something.

"Well, when you don't tell me what's wrong, I have to make assumptions." She crosses her arms in irritation, tapping her little foot.

"I thought I had… I thought you would be upset. For wanting to do that." He mumbles out, desperate to make her happy again for some unfathomable reason.

"Oh." She laughs. "You can't upset me, Jazz. Well, you can irritate me. When you're stubborn."

"Is that all?" He laughs. She grins at him, pleased by his husky laugh.

"Pretty much." She pauses, as if she wants to say something else, but decides against it. They keep walking, passing the little carnival. Flashing lights illuminate her face, dancing off her granite skin. Music and the shouts of vendors drift over the air, clashing with the very human shrieks drifting off the rides.

In that moment, Jasper Whitlock realizes something very important.

He is incomprehensibly, completely, irreversibly, head over heels in love with this darling pixie at his side.

He stops, surprised at himself. Two months, and he is in love? How is such a thing possible? She stops too, glancing up at him. The corners of her lips twitch up in a smirk.

"Alice." It's the only word he can think to say.

"I've been waiting for this." She sighs blissfully. He can't help but roll his eyes. _Of course_ she knew this was coming.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He breathes out, torn between pulling her to him and cupping her face in his hands.

"Oh, Jazz." She whispers lovingly, standing on her tip toes to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "How would you have taken that any sooner? 'Oh, hello Jasper. I'm in love with you, and you'll love me soon enough!' Wouldn't I have frightened you away?"

"Probably." He swallows; his throat is dry, but somehow the ever constant thirst doesn't bother him. He scrutinizes him; she is so calm, as if this revelation hardly matters at all. "How do you stand it?"

"Stand what?" She cocks her head.

"This feeling. How have you managed to act so normal?" She laughs. "Alright, normal for _you_."

"Jazz, I've loved you for over twenty years." She grins. "Ever since I had my first vision of you. I'm just much more practiced at loving you in private."

He gently brushes some of her wild hair from her eyes, and takes her face in his hands. She is delighted, a wide smile breaking across her perfect face.

"You'll be the death of me." He murmurs as he bends down to press his lips to her.

"No," She disagrees when he pulls away. "I'm your beginning. And you're mine."

He pauses, and considers how very true this is. He shakes his head, taking her small hand in his own.

"Are you always right?"

"Yes. You may as well just get used to it."

That doesn't sound so bad to him.


	3. Then He Fell In Love

**Hello friends! And other people whom I do not know. I hope you enjoy this little one-shot. You should listen to When the Day Met the Night by Panic! At The Disco while listening to this one. Mucho thanks to Kimbercat98 for suggesting it, as I had forgotten how very perfect it was for this lovely couple. I would still very much appreciate song suggestions as I'd like to steal titles from song lyrics throughout this series of one-shots. Pwease? Hope you enjoy!!**

_When the moon found the sun,  
It looked like he was barely hanging on,  
But her eyes saved his life.  
- "When the Day Met the Night", Panic! At The Disco_

**Then He Fell In Love**

It's one day, some time later, when she notices it.

"Your eyes." It's two words, to beautifully exalted words. Jasper glances over to his exuberant little Alice.

"Hmm?"

"I always wondered-" She reached out and grazed her fingertips over his cheek. Her touch was so light it was almost as if he had imagined it. He could feel surprise coming off of her; he resolved to surprise her more often. He liked the way her face lit up.

"What about them?" He raises an eyebrow as he captures her hand in his own, gently lacing their fingers.

"They're almost like mine." She whispers, cupping his face in her free hand. Her thumb gently traced just under his eye. "A little more orange, but they're getting there. I did wonder about the difference between the blood red…"

She trails off, as she often does. She often lives so far ahead of everyone else that it's difficult to keep her in the moment. He's gotten used to it. Her eyes are one of the many things he loves about her, but not for their lovely amber color. He loves to watch how expressive they are. To anyone else, it may seem she cloaks her real feelings.

Ah, but they don't watch her eyes. He can sometimes tell what she is thinking, not just feeling but _thinking_, by watching her lovely eyes.

"Alice, come back." He loves softly and she snaps those pretty eyes back to him with an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, Jazz." She murmurs, planting the softest of kisses on his lips.

He shakes his head at her apology. She does things like that sometimes; apologizes for her visions, for her very nature. Secretly, he wonders if it has something to do with her human life but knows better than to bring up that particular topic of discussion.

"Hotel tonight?" She practically begs with a sweet smile that he can't resist. With a resigned groan, he nods and she claps her hands in delight. He doesn't like to stay in one place too long; he supposes that may be remnants from his time as a soldier and his time with Maria. The first time he used that excuse, she'd obviously seen it coming long enough to decide on the perfect comeback: They would be with the Cullens soon enough, and these vampires would be far less migratory than he was used to. They needed to get used to it.

He is fairly certain it's just an excuse.

He is also far too smart to voice that idea.

"How do you come up with the money?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Humans don't notice a few dollars missing most of the time." She shrugs. "Most of the time, it's just dropped money. I've technically never stolen it."

"Technically?"

"Let's not worry about this!" She says brightly, and he laughs. She smiles at him, and he knows she's thinking about him. About how his low, alto laugh is so beautiful and how she'd like to hear it more often.

It's funny, how he feels like a mind reader around the little vampire.

"What would you like to worry about, then?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" She spins around, looking to the overcast sky. It's safe to go into town this day; Alice, of course, would already know this. The smallest rumble of thunder crashes in the distance. Jasper feels a small raindrop splash against his cold skin, and then another.

Her musical laugh floats in the air. He glances at her.

She is beautiful, so beautiful he is momentarily stunned. Her wild hair, so perfect for his little pixie, holds the raindrops like little crystals. She spins around, clearly delighted in the rain. She is always delighted with these little things, with the little things he sometimes thinks she is experiencing for the first time.

Maybe each time is like the first time for her.

"I've never danced in the rain." Her voice is exhilarated. "Jazz, dance with me!"

He stares at her.

"Are you a human, Alice?"

"Just dance with me." She grins. She knows she will get her way; she always gets her way. He shakes his head uselessly, knowing it will do no good against her pouting prowess. "Aw, Jazzie, please?" Her face trembles in an irresistible pout. Her chin quivers, just slightly, as if she will cry (though he knows it to be impossible).

But he can deny her nothing.

Five months, five shorts months together, and he can deny her nothing?

What has she done to him?

"Thank you!" She chirps delightedly. She must have seen his change of heart.

She holds out her hand, expectantly. He thinks unexpectedly of how that same hand has changed his life, and that same hand has held his own, and that same hand has caressed his face. He takes it again, as he always will, and pulls her close to him.

They waltz, in this little clearing. In the rain.

"There's no music." She whispers in his ear, standing on her tip toes (and somehow continuing to waltz better than anyone, human or vampire, he's ever seen). Without another thought, he begins to hum a beautiful melody under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear it.

She sighs, longingly.

They twirl slowly. She is all beauty, all grace. With dainty spins and flourishes, she easily amazes him.

"Where did you learn to dance?" He murmurs.

"It's all in the leading." She replies softly as he resumes his humming.

The rain falls in larger drops, faster and faster. In what feels like mere seconds, they are twirling in a downpour. Water dribbles into her mouth as she throws back her head to feel the cool water on her cheeks. Jasper feels his throat tighten.

Love is a strange emotion.

"It's too wet." Alice laughs suddenly, spinning out of his grip. "C'mon, let's go dry off."

"Gladly." The rain is already slowing to a drizzle, a lovely summer shower. She obviously foresees the clouds staying for some time, because she is happy enough to venture in to town. He shakes his head at her, covering her in little droplets of rain, with a smug smirk.

"Jazz!" She teases, pretending to swat at him. "Why, I thought a Southern gentleman such as yourself would be happy to treat a lady right!"

"I surely am sorry, ma'am!" He pretends to tip a hat at her and allows some of his old Southern accent to taint his speech. "I'd be much obliged if you would forget that little lapse in my manners."

"What do I get in return if I do, soldier?" She teases, drawing closer to him.

"Well, ma'am, I could always give you a kiss."

"Why, I most certainly am not that type of woman!" She acts affronted and takes off in a run away from him. Laughing at her little game, he pursues her and easily captures her in his arms. Planting little kisses down her neck and over her cheeks, finally landing on her lips, he grins.

"You most certainly are that type of woman." His orange eyes soften. "My type of woman."

"I'd better be." She stares into his eyes, in that strange way she has. He is certain she is looking in to his soul, if he has one at all. He can imagine her peering into his mind, grinning as she sees no thoughts that surprise her.

And he wants to laugh, because there has never been another woman like her. It seems they were always destined to be, even if they were born God knows how long apart and even if they shouldn't technically be walking around right now. She is the only woman for him, the only being in this universe that could possibly make him feel even a fourth of this happiness.

"How do you stand it sometimes?" He asks gently as he releases her from their embrace. They begin to walk towards the nearest town.

"Stand what?" She asks with a grin.

"To have so much love for one person?" He replies softly. "It's overwhelming."

"I've had a lot more practice than you." She points out with a grin. "I've loved you almost as long as I can remember. I haven't ever _not_ had this overwhelming love."

"Lucky you." He teases.

She nods cheerfully.

They walk into a little hotel.

It happens every time they stay at a hotel. The clerk will be very cheerful and willing to give the beautiful couple a room- until he notices that they lack shiny rings on their left fingers. Of course, Alice is very convincing and there is really no way to stop her getting what she wants.

They quickly set up in the little room and she happily hurries to take a warm shower. She loves these human rituals, the little mundane things she cannot remember. He doesn't mind so much. He hums to himself as he hears the tap of the water turn on, hums as her own voice joins his melody.

Even when apart, their tunes are complimentary, their harmonies are perfect.

Thunder cracks outside the window, a burst of percussion to their weaving melodies. He smiles at the crack; it will surely delight little Alice, who loves to watch her visions unfold.

With a particularly loud crack of thunder, the power goes out. Jasper mentally shrugs it off; lightning has the strangest habit of striking in just the right spot to stop electricity.

A moment later, an unreasonable wave of terror slams into him. Within a second, Alice is out of the bathroom, naked, dripping water on the carpeted floor. She has nearly ripped the door off its hinges in her flight from the bathroom. He stares at her, meeting her terror-stricken eyes. She is shivering – from fright, he realizes, because there is no way for her to be cold.

For a moment, he can only stare. Her wide, expressive eyes are shifting, confused. Her pale face is drawn and the pale purple circles under her eyes are pronounced for the first time in his memory. She has wrapped her arms around herself, her tiny hands squeezing the skin of her arms tight enough to bruise a human body. She shivers with fright and horror and a strange sense of expectance.

"Alice?" He ventures softly, politely averting his eyes from her body. "The power went out. That's all."

"I know." Her voice is twisted in anguish.

For the first time in the past few months, he has no idea what's going on in her pretty head. He has no idea what fuels the slowly abating terror. She takes a tentative step towards him and then practically flies into his lap. She doesn't seem to mind her bare body as she curls against him, silent, dry sobs racking her body.

He has never seen her so unhappy.

"Alice?"

"It was so dark in there." She mumbles foolishly into his chest. "And so small. And the water was pounding at me." She looks up at him now, with pleading eyes. He stares back, unsure of what to tell her, of what to do. "And I kept thinking… They're about to turn up the water pressure. They're going to put me back in _there_. They're going to _hurt_ me."

He doesn't know what he can say to her. She looks away from him now, her eyes faraway in a way he's never seen before.

"And I was _frightened_. Of them, whoever they are. I thought they were going to lock me up, going to spray me with a cold hose hard enough to bruise." She met his eyes once more. "But, Jazz, I've never been cold. And I've never even thought of bruises before today. How could I know…"

He wants to tell her it's okay, but he isn't sure if it is. Her emotions are slowly returning to their usual to calm, to the happiness he is so fond of in her. But that terror… It hurt him, somehow. When he felt that wave of terror smash into him, he felt like the monster he once was. He felt like storming in there and ripping apart every little thing that could cause such a reaction in his sweet little Alice.

"Alice." It's a word, a soft caress on his lips. He feels her relax at the word, and wishes he could help her. At the same time, he doubts she would appreciate his help very much. She wants to experience everything in this life, whether it's pleasant or not.

And somehow her lips meet his and they're on fire. Her fists tangle in his hair, his strong hands grip her waist. She impatiently tugs his shirt over his head and pauses.

"What happened to you?" She whispers gently as she touches one of his crescent shaped scars.

"Nothing." He reaches for his shirt, but she grabs it first and tugs it over her own head. He turns his head, ashamed of his scars and his past and a dozen other things. In her perfection, he liked to forget that these things existed and that he could try to match her perfection. He can act as if he is meant for her and she is meant for him as long as he wants, but these scars will always tell a different story.

Almost as if she is the empathy, she gently runs her fingers over his textured skin. She traces the little pale crescent moons with their ridges, as if each light touch is a caress.

"You _are_ perfect, Jazz." She whispers, as though she knows he thinks otherwise.

"No, Alice, I'm not." He replies just as softly. She bends and brushes her lips against a scar on the inside of his left wrist. It is an intimate movement, in a way the most intimate he has ever experienced.

"What happened?"

And he begins to tell her, first in a whisper, and then in growing volume. He tells her of Maria and Nettie and the other girl and their vicious bites. He tells her of the newborns, of the coven wars. He tells her of fighting the same battles day after day, of destroying the very innocents he created, of Peter and Charlotte and their escape. Then he tells her of wandering with them, of preying on the humans and feeling their fear and sadness. Of the guilt plaguing him every day until he met her. She listens, suddenly more still and silent than he's ever seen her.

When he's done, he goes back and tells her about his human life. He tells her of lying about his age and joining the Confederate Army. Of his quick rise through the ranks and losing some battles and friends. When he's done, he realizes she is in his arms.

They lay still for some time, each quietly contemplating the other's existence and somehow on the exact same wavelength. She calmly traces each scar. He finds himself murmuring the story of this one or that one; so many, and yet each so unique. And still so very alike.

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock." She snuggled into his bare chest. "And I will never, never leave you."

He is surprised momentarily by how well she knows his fears after this short time, but knows he shouldn't be. Instead, he pulls her closer.

"I love you too."

When their lips meet this time, the fire is cooled by a sweet understanding.


End file.
